The New York Liberty must whip into shape if they plan on going any further than the first round of the playoffs. Liberty fans already know that they are in for a rollercoaster of a postseason, and Game 1 seemed to prove that.
New York took down the Phoenix Mercury in overtime to start the series.
The Liberty Need Natasha
Natasha Cloud came into Game 1 thirsty for a win. After being traded to New York back in March, Cloud has made quite the impact so far with her new team.
Even after nine seasons in the WNBA, she hasn’t lost an ounce of grit. Natasha won the 2025 WNBA Skills Challenge, took a championship home with the Washington Mystics in 2019, was the 2022 WNBA assists leader, and has been selected to a WNBA All-Defensive Team on several occasions. Like wine, Cloud only seems to get better with age.
In Game 1 against Phoenix, Natasha took over with 23 points, four steals, five assists, and shot 50% from behind the three. Just last month, Cloud fractured her nose in a win over the Connecticut Sun. Nothing will stop her from getting on the court, though, even if she has to wear a face guard.
Even with Cloud’s dominant performance, the Liberty only managed to squeak by the Mercury in Game 1. Cloud cannot afford to let up in Game 2.
New, But Not Improved
Although The Liberty seems to be staying afloat, they finish their regular season with statistics that don’t quite amount to their position in the 2024 regular season. The 2024 Liberty averaged 36.6 rebounds per game; the 2025 Liberty fell short of that, with 33.7. In 2024 the team averaged 22.8 assists per game; in their most recent season, New York averaged 21.8. Many other stats fell short for New York this season compared to last.
To add to the struggle, Breanna Stewart injured her left knee in Game 1 with two minutes left in overtime. Stewie underwent imaging, and head coach Sandy Brondello said that everything came back “relatively clean.” Although Stewart has been sitting out of practice, her return is on a day-to-day basis.
It appears that Stewart plans to try and play in Game 2 tonight. Without her at full capacity, the rest of the Liberty are going to have to pick up the slack.
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